If you, or someone you know is at risk of congestive heart failure, then one of the first things you might want to learn about is congestive heart failure life expectancy, or the sort of prognosis you might have long-term for this disease. Heart failure is a condition that describes the failure or inability of the heart muscle to properly meet the requirements of tissues and organs in terms of nutrients and oxygen. This lack of function can decrease cardiac output, or the amount of blood that the heart is able to pump, and may mean that your heart can no longer circulate blood properly throughout the body. Over time, the problems associated with congestive heart failure can lead to various uncomfortable and even serious symptoms, such as swelling, weakness, and shortness of breath.
Understanding Congestive Heart Failure Life Expectancy:
Because congestive heart failure is regarded to be a progressive disease, which means that it becomes worse over time, it's important to fully understand what is being explained to you when you ask about congestive heart failure life expectancy. This disease is often punctuated by episodic exacerbations which can make the condition worse for short periods of time, and the course of your congestive heart failure may be highly variable in comparison with the routes that other people's diseases have taken. Most commonly, the factors that are involved in determining what your congestive heart failure life expectancy may include:
– The symptoms you suffer from
– The degree to which other systems in your body are impaired
– The way you respond to medications
– The nature of your underlying disease
Fortunately, one good thing to remember is that new drugs and medications are being constantly developed for people who suffer from heart disease and heart failure. This means that there may be a range of new treatments that can help to reduce the progression of your disease and improve your prognosis. Indeed, many people find that the outlook given to them today is much more positive than it may have been only a decade ago.
Grading Heart Failure:
Most of the time, experts grade heart failure according to a scale of class one to class four. Your grade will depend on your ability to function with the disease. For instance, class one might include people who suffer from weakened heart muscles but manage to live with limited symptoms. On the other hand, class four stages of heart disease and failure might be used to describe patients who suffer from a range of severe symptoms over time, including those that debilitate them during periods of rest.
Your life expectancy and prognosis will often change according to the stage of your heart disease. What's more, another important risk is the issue of arrhythmia. Of the deaths that do occur in people with congestive heart failure, around 50% are currently related to progressive heart failure, and the other half are simply thought to be a sign of serious arrhythmia. Remember that it's important to discuss your prognosis in depth with your doctor so that you can fully understand the details of your specific condition.